세나: Yesterday, or should I say yester-night, I have fallen asleep while Sungjae and I were making the final touches on my little haven. He promised to stay until evening and that’s what he indeed did, and while we were watching a baseball match on my newly-installed TV I have fallen asleep beside him, but this morning, I woke up on my bed and that was a nice thing. When I got up I saw a yellow sticky note on the table’s surface.

I already made your breakfast ~ ㅋㅋㅋ

Just reheat it and don’t forget to wash the dishes!

Also, good luck on choosing your table today. Make it pretty!

Eat well, princess! ^^

-handsome best friend-prince

A snort of amusement instantly escapes my nostrils after reading the note. I roll my eyes at the underlined word handsome; really, this guy’s starting to get full of himself. Instead of throwing it out I put it inside the drawer, thinking of keeping it as a memorabilia. Having worn my slippers I walk to the kitchen, and there is my breakfast seated, waiting to be reheated and eaten.

If I could remember correctly, this is my second week now in Seoul, and it’s been three days since the last time I have seen the handsome guy named Peniel from the band my best friend is a member of. Yes, the first was followed by another one, with a gap of four days between. Actually, I haven’t told Sungjae about my meetings with him. Not that I was keeping a secret, but rather I felt the lack of necessity to do so. And it’s not like Peniel-oppa and I were meeting up intentionally. It was just a course of events. Last night Sungjae mentioned to me that he’d introduce me to them any time soon, and I don’t know why, but I’m not really drawn to the idea—if not for the Peniel guy and Minhyuk guy making it exciting. Well, whatever. I’d let Sungjae do whatever he wants.

You’d say that meet-up between me and handsome Peniel was a little too romantic for a boy and a girl with three years age-gap, but nevertheless, I was happy I got to see him again. Well, yuck—I’m not harboring any romantic feelings for him, it’s just that he’s handsome and I think I might have this little crush on him so yeah. Sungjae wouldn’t mind, right? I bet he’d even tease me about it.

Well anyway this was how it went:

I had the fit of going out again, finding my Sungjae-less fortress a little gloomy without my best friend. I decided to go back to the café bringing once again, my laptop. No, I was already done with the Koko Krunch assignment; now I’m doing proofreading. As I entered the café I found no Peniel, and that quite disheartened me, actually. Nonetheless, life goes on, they say, so I went about working while sipping on a cup of hot chocolate.

I couldn’t deny the fact that I was waiting for him. Why, you, do you often get to see a guy from TV? And moreover, do you often get to have a drink with that handsome guy?

My cup running out of its drink was my cue to go out of the café. No Peniel for today, I told myself. I tried to delay myself a little for another thirty minutes there; well, I had the reason to stay, but no. Still, no Peniel came. I have even completed my assignment and yet he didn’t come. I looked at the time, and it was eleven o’clock. Guess I came a little too early, huh. I resolved to come by a little later the next time.

I kept my things. Closing my laptop, I went out of the café. Now you’d really say that my life is pretty much like the movies now; once I was out, I found the person I had been looking for. There he was, running, and when he stopped in front of me he rested his palms on his knees, panting, trying to regain his breath.

“Howdy,” I greeted informally.

He looked up and tried his best to look better. “Hello.”

“Been out for a late-night jog?”

“Well, not really…” he scratched the back of his head. “I… I was looking for someone,”

“Who, me?” I chuckled, teasing.

He merely gave me an abashed laugh for that, which quite confused me whether I was wrong or right. I chose to shrug it off; well, I’m not really assuming. “I came running as soon as I saw you going out,”

“Yeeee,” I gave him a playful shove, and we both laughed. “Pretty mushy there, Peniel-oppa,”

He smiled, and eyed the café behind me. “You’ve had your drink, haven’t you?”

“Yup; and I was already done with my assignment,”

“The Koko Krunch?” wow, that’s a really nice thing. So he remembers?

I shook my head. “I was done with it three days ago. Now I’m proofreading something,”

“Aw,” he slowly nodded his head.

“How are you, oppa? You seem prettier than the last time I saw you,” I told him, eyeing his face that seemed more radiant now. It made me think whether he had already removed his make-up or what.

He held his nape. “I’m alright, and thanks. You’re pretty too, yourself,”

As soon as those words came out I went on an evolution with my expression. First I was stupefied, not believing what I just heard, then scowled and pouted, borne of my embarrassment. I covered my face with my laptop. “Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh. That’s just freaky!”

He laughed, almost boisterously, and ruffled my hair. Despite of my undeniably tall height he was still taller than me. “Aigoo, kyeopta; it’s nice seeing you again, Miss Fire Tooth,”

I puffed my cheeks. “Rebound,”

“Are you going now?”

I nodded. “Apparently,”

He put this thought into account for a while. “Do you have a Tabasco sauce in your pocket?”

I dunked my hand into my sweater’s pocket. I brought it out. “Yeah,”

“Can I…” he swallowed. “Can I borrow it?”

“Oh?” I looked at the packet in my hand. “What will you do with it?”

“I want to keep it. For a while.”

Confused, I asked, “For?”

“So I could return something to you, the next time we meet,”

I scrunched my brows, feeling bewildered by the idea, but I complied. “Here,” I have a life-time supply at home. Giving out one wouldn’t hurt.

Examining the thing on his hand he smiled, with this peaceful expression on his face. “Thanks,”

“You’re welcome,” I walked past him but he halted—

“You’re still not telling me your name, are you?”

I shook my head with a playful smile. “Nope. But I will, maybe by the time when you’ll return that Tabasco,”

“Okay…” he sighed.

“Goodbye,” I waved, asking permission for my exit.

“Bye…” it almost came out as a whisper.

I turned my head, aimed towards the direction I was going to take, and when I was a few more feet far away from the café I turned my head. He was inside.

I whip my phone from my pocket and sandwich it between my ear and shoulder. After a few rings, someone picks up.

“Yobosseyo?” Sungjae’s voice still sounds rough; he must have just woken up.

“Oi, Yook,” 

“Se Na?”

“No. This is the robber that broke in in her house.” I snort.

Laughter comes from the other end—yes, a loud one, and Sungjae replies. “Okay, I believe you mister robber. Can you pass the phone to Pyo Se Na now?”

“You kid,” I chuckle. “I’m going out to look for my table. What’s up with you today?”

“You’re the kid,” I hear shuffling sounds and he continues, “Dance practice. And probably a meeting with Father Hong later this afternoon. He wants to tell us something,”

“Oh,” I nod, though of course he couldn’t see. “Fighting,”

“Same goes for you too,” I could already sense his smile. “I gotta hang up now; it’s breakfast time. Bye, Se Na,”

“Yeah. Bye,”

And the call ends.

A little later, I find myself looking at the high-rising building around me, realizing that my hometown is a little too different from here. I’ve always been told that I’m a genius—surprise, surprise, even my aunt did—so getting lost here in Seoul won’t really be a problem. I’ve gathered enough information about this place, and having stored it in my memory I start to shop.

Shopping is a little, let’s just say, weird, since my thick Busan accent keeps on getting in the way, and whenever I communicate with seller ahjummas or ahjussis they would smile at me, and would say, “You’re not from here, are you?” and I want to really reason out that that’s not important, I’m looking for a table, but nonetheless being the polite girl I am I am obliged to answer them with a smile, and a respectful Yes.

Three hours of searching, still nothing. But what’s really nice about this shopping is it’s eventful, especially because it involves saving an ahjussi from certain death, fighting a bad guy, and getting an injury while I’m at it.

* * *

Jae, found no table that suits my taste. I want to give up D:

I press send after composing that message, as I stand beside a random post, waiting for the green light to light up so I can cross the street. My phone then vibrates in my pocket, something that I don’t expect.

Is it fine with you that you have no working table, then?

I pout. I quickly type in my reply, and as I do, there’s this white-haired ahjussi that stands beside me. He’s struggling in stuffing his files in his suitcase. Some even almost fall.

“Omo, careful!” I catch some of the folders before it gets swept away by the wind.

“Oh, thank goodness,” he sighs, as he receives the files. He smiles at me. “Thank you, young lady,”

I admit. I really feel weird whenever I talk to older people. It makes me feel in a greater degree the generation gap and morale gap between our years. “Uh…Yeah. I mean, you’re welcome, sir,”

The throng waiting for the stoplight gets thicker, and I’m starting to get impatient. I continue composing my text for my best friend.

Eh, no. :(

Is this guy really practicing? Why does he reply so fast?

You want me to go with you?

I think about this for a while. I reply—

What, now? Andwae, andwae! You’re practicing!

It’s just that my legs are hurting already. Aaaaaand the tables I see are nice,

I just haven’t found the one for me yet.

Jae should really win an award for speed texting.

Oh you already have found the one for you!

.

.

.

ME! ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

I roll my eyes.

YOU FLIRT D:<

But that’s when our texting stops, when suddenly the crowd behind me bursts into stress, and the next thing I know, there are ladies screaming, and the ahjussi beside me is protesting about something about someone snatching his bag and blabbing about company files and whatnot. I really don’t know. All other sounds are just drowned in my ears, and a huge wave of adrenaline rushes in me, that I run after whoever that scumbag is.

I run and run, never even blinking so as he would not get anywhere out my sight. I run like I’ve never had before; yelling nasty insults at the guy and threatening him into coming back. Wow, who am I kidding.

Eventually the chase comes to a halt, when I manage to overtake him—thank goodness for my long legs, and I pounce at him like a wild animal. I get hurt several times, getting hit here and there, as we thrash against each other, but in fairness, I manage to get the ahjussi’s files out of his grasp. We’re on the side of the road and I’m busy pummeling him while the police are whistling at us, frantically responding. He almost looks like a pulp when, abruptly, with his last ounce of pathetic strength he pushes me, right there at the center of the road, and when I turn, there’s a car fast approaching.

You can say what happened next.